Upright conveying device for flat items

ABSTRACT

A retaining roller in an upright conveying device has a friction coating and is mounted on a rocker arm, adjacent the path of movement of items through the device, for rotation in a direction opposite to that of the conveying direction. The roller is maintained in a predetermined space relationship with a lateral border surface by a pressing force acting against the arm to urge the roller to an abutment position where the peripheral surface of the friction coating rests against a support roller.

United States Patent 11 1 Kummerer 1 Nov. 20, 1973 UPRIGHT CONVEYING DEVICE FOR FLAT 2,140,171 12/1938 Rouan 271/39 ITEMS FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLlCATlONS Inventor: Karl-Heinz Kummerer, Konstanz, 1,229,004 11/1966 Germany 198/DIG. 16

Germany [73] Assignee: Licentia Patent-Verwaltungs-Gmbll, 'f' 'f C- Blunk Frankfurt, Germany Assistant Examiner-Bruce H. Stoner, Jr.

; AttorneyGeorge H. Spencer et al. [22] Filed: Feb. 28, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 229,723 [57] ABSTRACT A retaining roller in an upright conveying device has a 52 US. Cl. 271/34, 271/122 friction mating and is "wumed 3 mm arm, i

.... B65h 3/04, B65h 3/52 [58] Field of Search 271/34}, 39, 215,26 ES", 271/45, 76; 193/165, 161, DIG. 16

[561 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,104,630 1/1938 Zahn 271/39 2,941,654 6/1960 Falconer 198/161 X 2,950,675 8/1960 Copping et al. 271/36 x cent the path of movement of items through the device, for rotation in a direction opposite to that of the conveying direction. The roller is maintained in a predetermined space relationship with a lateral border surface by a pressing force acting against the arm to urge the roller to an abutment position where the peripheral surface of the friction coating rests against a .support roller.

4 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an upright conveying device for flat items such as vouchers, letters and the like in which, in order to hold back items arriving in multiple layers, a retaining roller is disposed opposite a lateral border surface of the conveying channel. This retaining roller rotates in a direction opposite to that of the conveying direction and is provided with a peripheral friction coating.

In devices of this type the distance between the lateral boarder surface and the retaining roller is selected, for example, to be greater than a single thickness, and smaller than a double thickness, of the thinnest item to be processed. This distance is set by an appropriate fine adjustment of the position of the border surface or the shaft of the retaining roller. Since the diameter of the retaining roller becomes smaller in the course of time due to the wearing away of the friction coating, the above-mentioned distance becomes greater in the course of time, so that the intended function of the apparatus is no longer assured. When this occurs a new ajustment must be made so as to provide for the correct distance.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve an upright conveying device having the abovementioned features in such a manner that the influence of the wear, that occurs at the friction coating of the retaining roller, on the effective spacing provided between the retaining roller and the border surface is re- I duced.

This is accomplished by mounting the retaining roller on a rocker arm which is pressed, by a setting force, in the direction toward the bordering surface. The abutment for securing the distance between the border surface and the retaining roller is a supporting roller on which the periphery of the friction coating on the retaining roller rests. With this arrangement it is possible to select the position of the supporting roller in the device according to known geometric rules of construction so that the distance between the border surface and the retaining roller remains constant independent 2 posed on the side of the conveying channel which is opposite the retaining roller.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS vention.

of the change in the diameter of the retaining roller as 'a result of wear.

In an advantageous embodiment of the present invention the border surface is formed by a conveyor belt driven in the conveying direction. The surface of the belt facing the retaining roller is supported in the area between two guide rollers, by a supporting roller disposed in front of the retaining roller and a supporting roller disposed in back of the retaining roller. This type of support is effective to ensure that the position of the surface disposed opposite the retaining roller, and thus the distance determinative for the passage of items, remains constant independent of the change in the thickness of the conveying belt that occurs as the result of wear.

Further according to the present invention the conveying channel through which the items are fed forms an acute angle with the conveying belt, so that the supporting roller of the conveyor belt which is disposed in front of the retaining roller is set back, with respect to the conveying direction, to such an extent that it is dis- FIG. 2 is a similar view of a second embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The upright conveying device shown in FIG. 1 consists of two consecutive conveying sections. The last, or second, section in the conveying direction, contains the retaining roller and the border surface while the first section acts as a preliminary stage which serves to equalize and thin out the arriving conveying stream of items to such an extent that the retaining roller can achieve an optimum effect. These sections are described in more detail below.

The first section, which feeds the items to the last section, contains a below the floor conveyor 2, which moves around a guide roller 1, and two upright conveyor belts 5 and 6 which move around guide rollers 3 and 4. Conveyor belt 5 rotates in a known manner in the conveying direction and conveyor belt 6 rotates in a direction opposite to the conveying direction. As can be seen in FIG. 1 spacing between the two conveyor belts decreases in the conveying direction.

In the last section the retaining roller 7, which is provided with a peripheral friction coating 7, is movably mounted on a rocker arm 8 having a pivot axis 9.

The friction coating of roller 7 may be made for instance from a material which is known under the trade name CELASTO (manufacturer: Lemforder Kunststofi GmbI-I), the coefficient of friction being 0.7. This retaining roller 7 is held in the intended position within the device by means to be described below.-

The border surface is formed by a conveyor belt 10 that moves in the conveying direction and which is guided around rollers ll, 12 and 13. The surface of conveyor belt 10 facing the retaining roller 7 is also provided with a friction coating, not shown in the draw ing, whose coefficient of friction is higher than that of the friction coating 7' of the retaining roller 7.

An appropriate conveyor belt is known under the trade name LINATEX (manufacturer: Ruhrkunststoff), the coefficient of friction being 1.0

In the area between guide rollers 12 and 13 conveyor belt 10 is further supported by supporting rollers 14 and 15 which contact the belt 10 and which are dis posed in front of or behind, respectively, the retaining roller 7. The contact may be direct, as in the case of the roller 14 or indirect, as in the case of the roller 15 which, as it is seen, for example in FIG. 1, contacts the belt 10 through another conveyor belt 16. With this arrangement the position of the surface of the conveyor belt facing the supporting roller remains unchanged without further measures in spite of the wear on the friction coating occurring during operation and the resulting reduction in the thickness of the conveyor belt.

As can be seen from the drawing, the below the floor belt 2, which is advanced to the range of the conveyor belt 10, forms an acute angle with the latter, and the supporting roller 14, disposed in front of the retaining roller 7, is set back with respect to the conveying direction to such an extent that it is disposed on the side of the conveying channel which lies opposite the retaining roller.

The supporting roller 15, in addition to its function as support for conveyor belt 10, serves as guide roller for a further very wear-resistant conveyor belt 16. This belt 16 is in contact with conveyor belt and is guided around a further guide roller 19 which is mounted on a rocker arm 17 with pivot axis 18.

Rocker arm 8 is pressed by the force of a pressure spring 20 in the direction toward the conveyor belt 10. The abutment to secure the distance between the retaining roller 7 and the conveyor belt 10 is constituted by a supporting roller 21 on which peripheral surface of the friction coating 7 on the retaining roller rests. The position of the pivot axis 9 of the rocker arm 8 and the position of the supporting roller 21 are so selected, according to known rules of geometric construction, that thedistance between the conveyor belt 10 and the retaining roller 7 remains constant independent of the changes in the diameter of the retaining roller due to wear.

In order to assure safe conveyance of the items passing through the device, guide elements such as, for example, guide walls 22 and 23 may be provided in the usual manner.

A in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the retaining roller 7 is driven by frictional contact with the driven supporting roller 21. However, it would also be possible within the scope of the present invention to drive the relying roller, for example via a flexible shaft, without relaying on a drive from its supporting roller.

The embodiment of FIG. 2 corresponds in its significant construction to the arrangement explained in connection with FIG. 1, and corresponding elements are marked with the same reference numerals. The guide wall 23' here corresponds to guide wall 23.

The particular feature of the embodiment of the invention disclosed by FIG. 2 is that the supporting roller for conveyor belt 10, which roller is disposed behind the retaining roller 7, with respect to the conveying direction, also serves through the intermediary of belt 16, as the abutment for the retaining roller.

As in FIG. 1 the drive for the retaining roller is provided at the roller serving as the abutment. However, as previously pointed out, the retaining roller could here also be driven by means which are independent of the supporting roller 15.

It will be understood that the above description of the present invention is susceptible to various modifications, changes and adaptations, and the sameare intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the appended claims.

I claim: 7

1. in an upright conveying device for flat items in which items furnished in' multilayer arrangements are held back by a retainingroller provided friction coating and lying opposite and at a given distance from the lateral border surface of the conveying channel, the roller rotating in a direction opposite to the' conveying direction, the improvement which comprises combination: i

a. a pivotally mounted rocker arm :oriwhi'c h said retaining roller is mounted;

b. a supporting roller associated with said rocker arm;

c. means connected with said rocker arm and pressing said retaining roller toward the border surface to an abutment position where a peripheral surface of the friction coating on the retaining roller rests on said'supporting roller;

d. a conveyor belt driven in the conveying direction and guide rollers supporting said belt, said border surface is formed by said conveyor belt; and

e, at least two supporting rollers each disposed at a respective side of the retaining roller and supporting in the area between two of said guide rollers, the surface of said belt facing said retaining roller, said supporting rollers contacting at least indirectly said surface of said belt.

2. The arrangement'as defined in claim 1 wherein the conveying channel through which the items pass forms an acute angle with respect to said conveyor belt, and one of said supporting rollers is disposed in front of said retaining roller in the conveying direction and is set back, with respect to the conveying direction to such an extent that it is disposed on the side of the conveying channel which lies opposite said retaining roller.

3. The arrangment as defined in claim 1 comprising a further conveyor belt in contact with said conveyor belt and wherein the one of said supporting rollers of said conveyor belt which lies behind said retaining roller in the conveying direction serves as a guide roller for said further conveyor belt.

4. The arrangement as defined in claim 3 wherein said one of said supporting rollers also serves as an abutment for said retaining roller.

I! i t UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3 773 317 Dated November 20th, 1973 I t KarlHeinz Kummerer It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the heading of the patent, after line 8, insert [30] Foreign Application Priority Data Feb.27, 1971 Germany. P 21 09 376.5--. Column 1, line 13, change "boarder" to -border. Column 3, line 30, change "relying to retainin'g-;' li'ne"3l', change "relaying" to relying. v

Signed and sealed this 16th day of April 197M.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-1050 I uscoMM-oc 60376-P69 i 11.5. GOVIRNMENT PRINTING OFFICE IS! O3GG-3$4, 

1. In an upright conveying device for flat items in which items furnished in multilayer arrangements are held back by a retaining roller provided with a friction coating and lying opposite and at a given distance from the lateral border surface of the conveying channel, the roller rotating in a direction opposite to the conveying direction, the improvement which comprises in combination: a. a pivotally mounted rocker arm on which said retaining roller is mounted; b. a supporting roller associated with said rocker arm; c. means connected with said rocker arm and pressing said retaining roller toward the border surface to an abutment position where a peripheral surface of the friction coating on the retaining roller rests on said supporting roller; d. a conveyor belt driven in the conveying direction and guide rollers supporting said belt, said border surface is formed by said conveyor belt; and e. at least two supporting rollers each disposed at a respective side of the retaining roller and supporting in the area between two of said guide rollers, the surface of said belt facing said retaining roller, said supporting rollers contacting at least indirectly said surface of said belt.
 2. The arrangement as defined in claim 1 wherein the conveying channel through which the items pass forms an acute angle with respect to said conveyor belt, and one of said supporting rollers is disposed in front of said retaining roller in the conveying direction and is set back, with respect to the conveying direction to such an extent that it is disposed on the side of the conveying channel which lies opposite said retaining roller.
 3. THe arrangment as defined in claim 1 comprising a further conveyor belt in contact with said conveyor belt and wherein the one of said supporting rollers of said conveyor belt which lies behind said retaining roller in the conveying direction serves as a guide roller for said further conveyor belt.
 4. The arrangement as defined in claim 3 wherein said one of said supporting rollers also serves as an abutment for said retaining roller. 